I Do Care
by M A R E - W I S H W O R T H
Summary: Not a Self-Insert. Moses falls for a spunky tomboy, but she's human. MosesOc because I haven't seen any non-gay romances about Moses also, there aren't much, if not, any, stories with OCs. If you have one, you can tell me, though. No flammers!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: A Proper Lady Does Not….**

**Complete this sentence:**

**A Proper Lady Does Not…Because…**

Ah…I loved these games. I wrote my answer in full capital letters:

A PROPER LADY DOES NOT TALK BACK BECAUSE IF SHE DID, SHE WOULD NOT BE A PROPER LADY. A PROPER LADY DOES NOT TALK BEFORE BEING SPOKEN TO BECAUSE IF SHE DID, SHE WOULD BE SCOLDED FOR NOT BEING A PROPER LADY. A PROPER LADY ALWAYS HAS LONG HAIR BECAUSE GIRLS WITH SHORT HAIR ARE CONSIDERED TOMBOYS, LIKE ME.

After that, I mailed in the form. The winner was supposed to be sent to some super-cool castle and live like "a proper lady should" for a few weeks.

Of course, I knew I wouldn't win because I don't have a clue how or why people would want to be "proper ladies". After that, I went into my room to sleep for a little bit.

That noise woke me up right away.

_A Monster? No, monsters didn't exist…did they?_

Then, I saw it. It looked really weird. I watched it try to go into rooms, but the doors were locked. Why didn't _I_ lock my door tonight? Then it saw my door. Wide open. I ran to the door and shut it, but the thing had made it to the door first. I pushed all my weight against the door and it finally shut. I then locked the door and paced in my room. _What should I do? _I thought, _I'm scared._

But I'm never scared! I opened up my window. Okay, it wasn't that far down. And there was a small pool of water right underneath my house. Okay, I could do this.

My door splintered as the monster's hand/claw flew through. I saw it's red eyes. Just to be funny, I thought, _A proper lady does not jump out of two story windows to escape an angry monster._

After that, I jumped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: An Improper Lady SHOULD…**

When I tell you it's not a good idea to jump into a pool of water in your nightgown in the middle of winter, YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE IT because I learned the hard way. Also, never EVER do it if you don't know how to swim. It just makes you look like the idiot in the scenario. And also, NEVER EVER _EVER_ look back while you're falling to see if the stupid monster is still behind you. It makes you look even dumber because you don't have a clue where you're gonna fall, so you can't brace yourself.

Well, I did exactly the opposite of all that, and when I looked back, the monster was still coming after me. Now, I wish I wouldn't have looked back because I had to watch it get cut in half. Also, I wish I wouldn't have realized that the person who cut it in half was a character from a show called Blood . I wish it would've been a character from Saiyuki Reload, Death Note, or even Bleach—anything but Blood .

"Hey, Saya are you alright?"

I don't know where they got the idea that I was Saya, because first of all, I'm darker than her, and second of all, she's taller than I am. Okay, so apparently they're slow or something because it took them five minutes to realize I looked nothing like her. Here's how it went…

One of the people rubbed the back of their head. "Whoops, sorry. We all thought you were Saya. By the way, my name's Lulu," she said.

I tried hard not to laugh. Lulu was the name of one of my dogs on Nintendogs. I flipped open my light-blue cell phone and sent a text to my brother.

_You're never gonna believe this._

I sent it and then I closed my phone. He was probably asleep anyway.

"What did you just do?" someone else asked angrily. He had on glasses. He kinda reminded me of my brother.

"Chill. I just sent a text to my brother," I said, obviously not intimidated that they had sharp, pointy weapons and all I had was a cell phone (ooh cell phone…scary).

"A text?" he asked, intrigued. (Are you serious? My _mom_ knows what a text is and she's thirty-seven!)

"Yes, a text message. All you do is push a few buttons and the message is sent to another phone," I explained. I added in 'el stupido' under my breath. Apparently, he understood _that_ because he threatened to kill me!

"You wanna fight, 'cause we can go right now," I said, cracking my knuckles.

"That won't be necessary because we'll be going now,'' said a voice that I didn't recognize. A boy stepped out the trees. Okay, if my friend was here, the first thing she would have said was 'he's cute', I just know it because that's what I thought.

"Are you serious?! I wanted to fight. See, the only people I got to fight in there is my brothers and they beat me to a pulp," I said.

"We're saving our strength for Diva. We wouldn't waste it on a human like you," he replied.

"Oh really, Mr. Shortstop, well, this human can kick your butt," I bragged, cracking my knuckles some more.

"Maybe after our mission is fulfilled, we'll come back and fight you…if we're alive," he said.

"If you're not alive, I'll just disrespectfully kick your corpses around like me and my brothers do in HALO," I said.

"You're rather…eh…_spunky_ for a girl," he said.

"I ain't no girl! I'm a tomboy," I said, obviously forgetting all the training my grammar teacher had given me to stop using 'slang', as she called it.

"Ah…yes, a tomboy. You can trust I'll remember that next time," he said, a slight smile on his face. He probably thought I didn't see it, but I did.

I smiled back, "There better be a next time, too, or I'll _personally_ hunt down any of you that survive and I'll kill you myself," I said.

"It's a deal," he said, and then they all disappeared.

I smiled broader when I was sure they were gone.

_An improper lady SHOULD believe in love at first sight, _I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Fight That Never Came 

As it turned out, I actually won the contest. I was on my way to the palace in a limousine. It came into view. I gasped, and a guy opened the door. Now, if I'd have known it was a palace full of men, I would've never signed up, but oh well.

One of the guys opened the door and bowed.

"My name is Amshel Goldsmitt. Welcome to Shwe's laWea, and your name?"

I looked up and found the people I had met the night before standing on the rooftop. They wore cloaks, and their skin was unexposed. In the dim moonlight, I could see the one who'd smiled's mouth. The one who had smiled at me mouthed a name for me to say. I squinted. I finally understood and nodded. Amshel looked in the direction, but they were gone.

"Ah…My name! You asked me my name. It's Celestia. Celestia…" I paused and looked up at the building. The one who mouthed the name was there again. He mouthed a last name. Why I needed an alias, I don't know.

"It's Celestia Vourtine," I lied. The one who had mouthed the names was gone again, and I hadn't a clue why he had followed me here.

"Well, Celestia, come with me," he said. I nodded and obeyed.

My new room was amazing! It was big enough to house 150 elephants, I thought.

"Dinner is at twelve-o-clock sharp, I trust you won't be late," Amshel said, and then I was left alone. Almost immediately, the three from last night appeared.

"What are you doing here?" the one with glasses asked.

"I should be asking you the same question!" I replied.

"In any case, it's far too late for you to leave. We're here because this is where Diva is," the one who smiled said.

"Diva?"

"The one we're after. We need Diva's blood to survive," Lulu replied.

"But if you drink her blood, won't you get HIV, or Hepatitis, or something?" I asked.

"No, if we _don't_ drink it, we'll get 'The Thorn' and die," the smiling one replied.

"Okay…So, you're vampires, then? What are your names?" I asked.

"I suppose we can tell you," the smiling one said.

I smiled. "I'm wait-ing," I sang.

"I'm Karmen," the one with the glasses mumbled.

"I'm Moses. We're the Schiff," the one who smiled replied.

"You mean, like Moses from the Bible?" I asked.

"Somewhat," he replied.

"Okay, so where _is_ this Diva? I wanna fight her if she's so strong," I said.

"No. You'll die," Moses replied.

"And you care because…" I said, waiting for an answer.

"…fine. Fight Diva if you want," he replied, disappearing.

"Oh, bye!" Lulu said, disappearing with Karmen.

"Weirdos…" I muttered. "Wait! My fight!"

The next day, the sun was shining, and it seemed like a perfect day.

But it wasn't.

The Schiff named Irene died that same night we introduced ourselves.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: In the Gymnasium, Love Blossoms!**

That night, I had to go to night school. I went to the school in a limo and found Moses, Karmen, and Lulu standing in the shadows of the hallway waiting for me. "Oh, hi guys!" I called, waving. Lulu waved back and received a scolding from Karmen.

I walked into the gym and found students screaming and running from something. I knew that I should've run too, but for some reason, my body froze stiff and I couldn't get my legs to move. Moses walked up to me.

"Are you an idiot?! There's a chyropterran! Run!" he said, pulling my arm. I wouldn't budge.

"Yeah, I know but…I can't…move," I said. He sighed and picked me up. He ran really fast, and Karmen and Lulu caught up to us with ease.

"What's _she_ doing coming with us? What should you care if she dies?" Karmen asked. I was still scared stiff as a girl entered the gym and the monster turned into red dust.

Moses stopped and dropped me…rather, gently put me down, in front of the girl. "This is Saya," he said.

"Uh…Hi, Saya. I would tell you my real name, but I like my alias better. It's Celestia Vourtine. Cool, huh?" I asked. She shrugged and walked off with a man.

"Geez, she's rude," I said.

"Oh no! She hasn't always been like that," Lulu replied.

"Then what changed her, and _why_?" I asked, walking into the locker room to was the red powder off my clothes.

Lulu ran up to me. "Moses talks about you nonstop," she said. I shrugged and took off my GAP sweatshirt. I had on my blue striped tank underneath. "He really likes you, you know," she continued. "Do you like him too?"

I shrugged. "I think I do…maybe just a little," I mumbled.

"I knew it! You _love _him, don't you?" she said. My taned face turned red.

"I said 'a little'," I replied, defending myself. The bell for homeroom rang and I walked outside the school. I found Moses standing there.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" he asked. I shot him a 'why-do-you-care' look and he half-smiled. "You shouldn't skip class," he said.

"Thanks for worrying. I _needed_ a friend like that," I said, walking off. He came after me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Okay, I'm a masochist, and I have a knife. Put two and two together," I replied as he grabbed my wrist.

"No..." he whispered, snatching the knife from my hand.

"What do you care?" I asked, trying to get my knife back. He threw it over his shoulder and pulled me into a hug by my wrists. My eyes widened.

Carefully, he pressed his lips against mine's.

"I _do_ care," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

**I was typing this, and I realized, I never put the disclaimer! Anyway, I don't own Blood , okay? Also, you'll find out about Celestia's real name later, and thanks for the reviews! They make me happy! Also, Kyra-BlackWolf, I'd like to read it, but I promise not to flame. I don't like getting them, so why would I give them? And Zetsumeimaru, I'm glad you like it!**

**Also, did anyone notice the typo in chapter four? I put 'was' instead of 'clean'. I feel like a baka! I'm open to constructive critisism, and ideas, so don't be afraid to give them, okay? I'm writing this as I go, so... **

**Chapter Five: Truth Be Told**

I entered my room in Shwe's laWea and found Amshell standing beside some gay-looking guy.

"Good evening, Celestia," Amshell said, a strange look in his eyes. They were filled with hate.

"We heard you've been acquainted with our good friend Moses from the Schiff. By the way, I'm Nathan. I don't believe we've met," the other guy said.

I dropped my bag on the floor as Diva walked from behind Amshell. I'd seen her a few times, but she scared me half to death.

"I don't know who you're talking about," I replied, stepping back towards the door.

Nathan took out a picture of when Moses kissed me. it was crystal clear I had been caught in my own lie.

"Oh contrare, my dear. It seems you've been more than acquainted with him," Nathan said, examining the picture.

"Let me see,"" Diva comanded harshly. Nathan obediently handed her the photo.

"Let me warn you once. The Schiff are evil beings. They feed off the blood of humans. They're monsters. Moses is only trying to get close to you for your blood, don't you see. Allow us to kill them, then you will be free from--"

I cut Amshell off. "Shut your crap-trap, old man. You don't understand a damn thing about Moses, Karmen, or Lulu!" I shouted in my friends' defense.

"Neither do you. I understand them. I _created_ them. They belong to me," Amshell replied coldly.

I picked up my bag. Opening the massive doors, I ran. I don't know where to, but I did.

I stopped when Shwe's laWea was only a small speck in the distance. Was what Amshell said true? Was Moses really like that?

"Celestia!!"

I looked up and saw Lulu running towards me. I kneeled beside her. "Umm...Lulu?" I began.

"What is it?"

"Is Moses only trying to get close to me for my blood. I mean, are you guys really vampires. Did Amshell really create you?"

"I..um..I gotta go!"

With that Lulu was gone. about an hour later, Moses showed up. I looked at him, a faint smile on my face.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. We need to talk," he said.

And he explained everything that happened through his life. Everything.

I felt tears swell up in my eyes. "That corrupted bastard!" I shouted, hugging Moses. He hugged me back.

"Tell me...Will you come live with us? Sure, Karmen is hard to get along with, but that's only because you're human. He'll adjust to you...as I did," he said. I nodded, burying my face in his chest. Anything was better than being near Amshell...


	6. Chapter 6

**Gee, I'm sooo happy people like this! I thought it sucked, and I'm gonna try to be more descriptive, okay? I think I'm running out of ideas, though... Anyway, I don't own Blood , and I don't think I ever will. And I'm thinking about making a story for Bleach. I had a story on 4kids.tv called **_**A Naruto Story: True Love**_**, but I don't know if I want to continue it or not. Anyway, my username on there is TyLee in case anybody's wondering (I doubt it, though). Oh, and **_**Shwe's laWea... **_**I completely made up the name. I was trying to make it sound French (no offense to any French people). It's pronounced Shez laWay. And sorry I haven't updated in like forever, my dog died because he was sick. He died when I was holding him on the way to the vet :( ... He didn't even live to be 1 years old...**

**Ne! My science teacher is sooo mean! This dude named Marquan was messing with me, so I went off and **_**I **_**got in trouble... :-(**

**Without further adieu, here goes! I'm trying to make this one longer since I probably will be unable to update until I turn in my math make-up work.**

**Chapter Six: Meeting Kai**

I walked out of the small apartment Moses and the others stayed in and ran to got something to eat. On my way, I bumbed into a boy. He had brownish hair and he looked nice.

"Excuse me," I said, and I shuffled along. I saw Saya walk past me and up to the boy.

"Saya-san!" I called. Saya smiled lightly. "It's you," she said.

I walked up to her, my combat boots clanging as I walked. "How are you?" I asked her.

"I-I'm fine," she replied. I adored the red outfit she wore. It was cute, after all.

"Oh! Saya-san...I was wondering...What kind of foods do boys like?" I asked.

The brown haired boy stepped in. "Umm...Hi. I'm Kai. So what's your name?" he asked.

"I-I'm Celestia," I replied.

"Celestia?" he questioned.

Saya smiled. "An alias," she said. I nodded in agreement, my brown bangs sweeping across my eyes.

"So, why are you wondering about foods boys like?" he asked.

"For my boyfrie--I mean, friend," I replied. I blushed because I almost said 'boyfriend'.

"Really? Who is it? I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't wanna," he said.

"Oh. It's okay. You're Saya's friend, so I think you already know him, but his name's Moses," I replied. It was sunset, and I wobndered if Moses might have been worried. After all, chyropterrans tend to hunt at night.

"You mean Moses from the Schiff?!" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded, a huge smile on my face. "Well, I'd better get going. Moses is probably having a fit," I said, waving goodbye and running off. Kai...he was interesting.

I bought Moses a hotdog, Karmen some ramen, and Lulu a lolipop. Suddenly, my cellphone rang. I opened it and cautiously said 'hello'.

"Mayrie?! Mayrie is that you?!"

my face darkened. _Mom_, I thought.

"Y-Yeah. It's me. What's up?"

"What do you mean, 'What's up'?! I've been worried sick! That contest ended a week ago! I called Shwe's laWea and they said you ran away! What's going on, Mayrie?!" In truth, the contest wasn't over for another four weeks.

"I didn't run off! In fact, they sort of chased me off!"

"Details, details. Where are you? Who are you with? And what's with that hole in your door?!"

"Umm...I have no clue where I am, but I'm with..._friends_," I said. I looked up at the sky. 10 more minutes 'til night time.

"Friends?! What friends?!"

"Umm...Rika, Ellie, and Marsu," I lied.

"When will you be home?"

"Dunno."

"Oh, Mayrie...Please don't make me worry anymore...Please..."

I closed my phone. How dare she treat me like a child?! In truth, I _was _only 14, but...

Suddenly, a terrible noise awoke me from my daydreams. Of course, I knew this noise all too well... a chyropterran. I quickly ran into the nearest building and pulled open the stubborn steel door. My brown eyes scanned for some place to hide.

Then it hit me.

It _literally _hit me. The chyropterran had followed me and hit me with it's massive claws. I screamed and blacked out, falling into the numbing void known as unconsciousness.

**In loving memory of my dog Chico**

**June 2007-March 2008**

**Sunrise: June 4, 2007**

**Sunset: March 14, s008**

**Love you always!**

**Anyway, enough about me. I doubt you care about my dead dog. I'll try to update sooner next time, but I'm not doing so well, you know, it hurts when someone (or something) close to you dies...**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry I've been gone for soooo long! Today (March 24, 2008) is my birthday, so I'm in an exceptionally good mood today! Anyway, all last weekend, I've been at Cedar Point's Castaway Bay for vacation, so...**

**Anyway, today, I'm going to buy some **_**Death Note**_** comics, and that's all that's happening in my life, thanks for tuning in!**

**Oh, and Kyra-BlackWolf, I didn't take your suggestion the wrong way! I hope it didn't seem like I did! Oh, and I'll try to get Heal to update every once in a while in case I can't.**

**Heal: Fine, I'll do it... Anything for the fans you don't have, Rensaji -.-;**

**Okay, enough delay! Oh, and Heal helped me with this one so I could be more descriptive for you guys! Oh, and the Schiff family portrait link I just found, just copy and paste to your browser, it's on my profile.**

**Chapter Seven: Part of Your **_**Family **_

I awoke in a room that was most certainly not room back in the apartment I shared with the schiff. I knew it was no where near close when the black curtains I used to have were replaced with tattered brown ones.

I looked around and felt that my chest was bandaged, and my clothes were nowhere to be found. I found a note sitting on the small wooden nightstand.

_Dear Celestia,_

_We bet you're wondering about your clothes. The chiropteran ruined them so we're getting you some more. Also, Julia helped with your wounds, so try not to move for a while._

_Your Friends,_

_Moses and Lulu_

_PS_

_We couldn't get Karmen to sign. _

I smiled and layed the small note back on the nightstand. That sounded just like Karmen not to sign. I didn't know why Karmen didn't like me, but Moses said not to worry; that he'd come around. I wasn't too sure.

I sat up and an immediate pain ran in my stomach. It felt like someone cut me a million times in the same place. I flinched and a tear ran down my cheek. Ms. Julia walked into the room.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. I smiled weakly.

"Fine. Just a little pain is all," I replied. I stood up and put the blanket around my shoulders. Suddenly, Lulu ran into the room. she held a single shooping bag up to me and I took it gradually. Opening it, I found a long white sundress inside. A vein pulsed in my forehead.

"Where is Moses?" I growled. Lulu smiled and ran towards the door. Moses entered the room carrying way too many shopping bags. He dropped them on the floor and ran over to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Besides the fact that you got me a million dresses, everything's peachy," I said. He knew very well that I hated dresses and everything that had to do with them. He smiled and looked at Lulu. Lulu smiled and ran out the room, Julia trailing behind her.

"Don't take too long," Julia said, closing the polished wooden door behind her. I sat down on the bed and Moses sat beside me.

"My tan faded. How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About three weeks," he replied casually, picking up a bag. He pulled out a hairpin that was green with diamonds on it. He put it in my hair and smiled. "See? It suits you," he said.

I smiled and threw my arms around him. "You're such a softie," I whispered in his ear. He smiled and kissed me. I pushed him away and said, "I want to go home." He nodded.

"Get dressed, and we can go home when it's night. Oh, and don't forget, you're part of our family now...Mayrie," he said. I stood up and ran over to him.

"How do you know my name?!" I asked, grabbing his sleeve. He smirked and pulled out of my grasp.

"Like I said, you're part of our family, now," he said.

**That's all for now! I'll have Chapter 8 up later on tonight, okay? Don't forget to review! Sorry it's so short! Oh, and should I start using 'she' instead of 'I', you know, not doing the whole Piont of View thing? I'll try it out in chapter 8. Tell me how you like it, okay?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oi! It's taking me sooo long to update because of school. I might start updating on the weekends. Sorry it took so long ! Please forgive me! Oh, and I'll stick with the first-person point of view. Umm...Do you guys think Moses is acting OOC?**

**Here's chapter 8, and here's a cookie (hands out cookies to everyone). Thanks for reviewing! I would give you real cookies if I could. **

**Heal: Things **_**might**_** turn lemony in Chapter 9, since I'll be typing it...We'll see, cuz it wouldn't be my first lemon. Just my first Blood+ one, and I suck at that kind of stuff when it comes to good anime.**

**Chapter Eight: Where I Belong**

I stared up at the ceiling and sighed. Lately, all that I've been hearing on my MP3 player's Radio was sappy love songs! I mean, honestly. What was wrong with the world?!

I turned on the big radio and was greeted by the sound of the Radio Announcer.

"Here's Kiss The Girl by Ashley Tisdale!"

WTF?! I hated that song, but still. It was okay.

_There, you see her. Sitting there across the way._

_She don't got alot to say but there's somethin' about her._

Suddenly, Moses entered my room. _Crap_, I thought. "I bet you're wondering how I know your name, aren't you?" he asked. I slowly nodded. I knew how this would turn out, and I didn't like it. Songs like this always set the mood for things like _that_. He smiled goofy-like and said, "I guessed it!"

_And you don't know why, but you're dyin' to try. You wanna kiss the girl._

He walked over to me and stared at me as if he was obeying the words to the song. _No, Moses. Don't you dare! I swear, if you do I'll--_

Something broke me out of my thoughts.

A kiss.

_Yes, you want her  
Look at her, you know you do  
It's possible she wants you, too  
There's one way to ask her_

He licked my bottom lip, asking for entrance. _That's not what they meant, you retard! _I thought. Still, I accepted his offer and his tounge slid in my mouth...

My phone began to ring. It was mom. _At least she called at the right time_, I thought. I pushed Moses away and answered my phone.

"Hello?" I said sleepily, pretending like I just woke up and did _not _just kiss a guy my parents had no idea about.

"Mayrie! Where are you! It's been three weeks since our last talk! Why haven't you been answering your phone?! I'm calling the police!"

"Mom, I've been really sick lately," I paused to fake cough, "Don't worry. I'll be home as soon as I can. I promise," I crossed my fingers across my back, "Okay. I gotta take my medicine now, call you later!"

"Mayrie, wait I--"

I slammed the phone shut and sighed. I hated doing this to my mother. I hated it. I turned my phone off and turned to Moses. What should I have done? I was so confused. I wiped the tears that were forming in my eyes away.

"What's wrong?" Moses asked me, looking seriously concerned.

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I replied. I stood up. "I'm just confused, is all".

"About what? Is it me?"

"No! It's just, I don't wanna leave you, but I hate making my mom worry like this!"

He hugged me.

"It doesn't matter what you choose, because I care about you. I do. I always will," he said.

"Go back home. We'll see each other again soon. I promise," he said after a moment of silence.

I felt so relieved! But, why was I crying? He hugged me tighter.

I entered my house, quietly sneaking up the stairs. Everyone was asleep, or at least _should've_ been. I walked into my room and was greeted by my parents, standing in front of my bed. My mom was crying. My dad looked angry. He always did, though.

"Mayrie?! Is it really you?!" my mom cried, throwing her arms around me, crying harder. My dad looked at me, clenching his fists.

"You're a disgrace to this family. Do you want to end up like Kin did? Do you want us to find you dead in the streets? We've already lost one daughter, and it seems like our second is no different from the first," he said harshly.

"How could you say that, Ten? She's still alive, and that's all that matters," my mother said.

"All that matters, huh? Who knows, she might have run off and done the _same thing _Kin did to get herself killed. She fell for a man that doesn't exist, Kora," my father replied.

"Umm...Papa, who was it that my sister fell for?" I asked meekly. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Some boy named Kerin...Karnen...Karlin...I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to the police report," he said.

"Karmen..." I muttered. My dad's eyes widened.

"How do you know the name?!"

"I-I..."

"I fobid you to leave this house! Never should you step foot out this place ever again!"

"In other words, I'm trapped."

"Quiet!"

I turned towards the door and ran out the house.

* * *

Moses stepped out in front of Karmen and Lulu carrying the green hairclip that had once belonged to the beautiful Mayrie.

"She's gone," he said sadly, cradling one of her dresses.

"So what if you couldn't make her stay? All girls in that family are the same, they leave without a trace. Also, that girl...Mayrie...she resembled Kin..." Karmen said.

"Is that why you wouldn't talk to her, Karmen? You were afraid of falling for her like you did with Kin?" Lulu asked. Karmen nodded.

Moses's eyes widened and he clenched the hairpin in his hand. Karmen couldn't have Mayrie. Mayrie was _his. _**His alone. **

He stepped out the door. "No...Mayrie's not the same as Kin. She _won't_ end up dead. _**I**_ will

be the one to protect her," he said.

* * *

I stepped in a spot filled with water and water splashed all over my new dress. I sighed and screamed Moses's name. There was no response. It'd take me hours if I walked back to the apartment we all shared. My feet hurt as it was. I was barefoot.

A roar entered my ears. A chiropteran's roar. I ran into a nearby building. The roar was just louder, and I spotted red eyes right in front of me. I ran out the building and ran as fast away as I could. The red-eyed monster ran afer me, just on my heels. Tears ran down my cheeks.

Something fell out my pocket, and Moses's words echoed in my head.

_You're part of this family, so take this dagger. Sure, it's not that big, but it's enough to defend yourself. Plus, our weapons match now. _

I grabbed the dagger and flipped the blade up. Holding it from my chest, the blade went to my nose. I looked at the monster that had once probably been human.

I dashed at it. Aim for the eyes, I told myself. Suddenly, the creature's body was sliced in two. I covered my face, flinching. I looked up and found Moses standing in front of me.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I smiled, tears running down my cheeks. Tears of joy. I ran into his welcoming arms and cried on his shoulder.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you."

I entered the apartment the Schiff and I shared, Moses behind me, my hairclip in my hair. Lulu ran up to me. "Big Sister!" she called. I kneeled in front of her and hugged her, looking at Karmen as he cleared his throat.

"I..uh...I'm glad you're okay," he mumbled. I smiled as Moses kneeled beside me and Lulu. He put his arms around me.

"You're **mine's**," he whispered jealously in my ear. "No one else's." I nodded, understanding what he meant, what with Kin and all.

"I know I am," I whispered back, kissing him, much to his surprise. Lulu smiled and ran over to Karmen, who was staring at us with jealousy and envy.

**Chapter Eight...END!**

**Haha! I had to do that. Anyway, thanks for reading. I tried to make this one longer. Chapter 9 will be up later.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yo! This is Heal. Rensaji had a doctor's appointment, so she couldn't type this up, but I'm am.**

**I use Microsoft Word and Rensaji uses Wordpad, hence her misspellings. Well, enough with all this crap, let's start. Rensaji's given me a good idea on what this chapter's supposed to be about, so… Ah, and the title! Ren-chan and I thought it up after watching Kiddy Grade's opening about a hundred times. Ah, we don't own Blood Plus or Kiddy Grade's Opening, but I wish we did, however, wishing won't make it come true.**

**Chapter Nine: Maybe I Will**

_Everybody's keeping secrets,_

_**I don't wanna go back.**_

_  
Let's get together now,_

_You and I are not alone._

_  
Give me the Holy Land…_

* * *

I awoke to the sweet smell of breakfast, bacon and eggs wafting into my room as if someone literally had cooked it within its vicinities. Sitting up and breathing in a lungful of the wonderful smell, I wondered what my friends could've been up to. Walking into the bathroom to get dressed, brush my teeth, take a shower, you know, the usual, I spotted Karman. I walked up to him and looked at him curiously, trying to find what in the world my late sister had seen in him.

"Do you need something?" he asked rather angrily.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied.

"Then spill it," he said, getting irritated.

I nervously looked down. "I-I know you don't want to talk about it, b-but what was my sister like. She died when I was little, so I can hardly remember her…"

"Kin? Kin was… Well, Kin was Kin. She was beautiful and stunning. Even though she was a good person, I refused to love her back… I refused her feelings because I loved Irene. I regret when she begged me to help her and I turned my back on her. I was supposed to protect her, and I failed. When I think about it, I love her now. I wish I'd have realized this before she died. Then maybe she'd have an ounce of happiness… before she died," he said. "She kept a diary, if you want it, it's at the front table. Don't tell anyone I told you about it." With that, he turned his back on me and walked off.

Ignoring what I was supposed to be doing, I ran to the front table and pulled open the drawer. There was a dusty book inside that read 'Kin's Diary. Do not read. Lulu, this means YOU'. I smiled, opening it to the front page. I blew away some dust and began reading.

_Today has been a wonderful day! I met the most wonderful person. His name was Karman. I can tell we are going to be good friends._

I turned to the next dusty page.

_Today, Karman ignored me. It has been the loneliest day of my existence._

I skipped ahead a few pages.

_Curse that Irene! I wish she'd just die! If not for her, Karman would love ME. Only ME. _

The next page was hastily written in blood, and it was the longest page written. I read it in horror.

_I fear I have but a few moments to live. I would like to say sorry to Irene. I didn't really mean for her to die. And to Karman. I didn't want Irene to die, honest. I am a terrible person, no wonder you wouldn't love me back. And lastly, sorry to my younger sister Mayrie. She's 14 now… Please, Mayrie, don't make the same mistake I did. I abandoned you and mom and dad back when you were only 3 years old. Heh…I wonder if I have any more siblings. Mayrie, please forgive me. Please, don't hate me. _

I pulled the small dagger out my pocket and cut my finger. Tears running down my cheeks, I wrote:

_I don't hate you. _

My blood was darker than hers was. I smiled and closed the book, putting it back inside the drawer. I'd continue it, that book. I'd continue it so that people could know that there were beings that—even though they were different from us—they were the same. We, two of the humans, had loved them and become part of their family.

"Mayrie, come get breakfast! It's getting cold!"

I smiled and ran into the kitchen. Yes, this was my family. At least for now. I sat down at the table as everyone else did. I was the only one with real food. Everyone else had blood packets…everyone except Karman. He sat in a corner, scowling.

I took a bite out of my eggs and smiled. "Delicious!" I exclaimed.

"They're not all that good, are they? I got the directions out of a cookbook. This is really my first time even touching a stove," Moses said. I smiled. He'd gone through all this trouble just for me.

"No, they're not _good_, I said they're _delicious_!" I exclaimed. I thrust some bacon in his mouth and he looked at me, horrified. "Chew!" I ordered. He obeyed, then swallowed. Smiling, he said:

"It _is _good".

* * *

I walked back to my room to fetch the outfit I'd wear for today—a pink tanktop, a knee-length black skirt, and my sandals.

I walked into my room, humming a cheerful tune. I wondered how I got along without my friends, the Schiff. I entered my room and turned on my Radio, playing my favorite CD. It was a burned anime CD my friend made me a few days before I left for Shwe's laWea.

Shwe's laWea. Where it all started.

I listened to track four—Kansha by RSP. I loved that song. Even though I had no idea what they were saying. I brushed out my brown hair and just stared at myself, thinking about how much I'd changed. My hair was long, and it used to be short. My eyes had gotten lighter, somehow, and my skin had gotten lighter--a result from only going out in the dark and not getting enough sunlight. I wondered what today would bring.

A crash broke me from my thoughts. I ran to see what the commotion was about and found Moses and Karman were fighting…not arguing, I mean really fighting. Weapons and all. I walked over to Lulu, who was desperately trying to get them to stop. "What's going on?" I asked her.

"I-It's something that Karman said," Lulu replied, and she left it at that.

I walked over to the two boys that were fighting and stepped between them.

"Karman, is this what Kin and Irene would've wanted, you two fighting against each other?" I asked. Karman lowered his weapon. "Moses, is this what _I _want? Can you honestly look at me and tell me that I want you two to fight. Remember what I said when we all first met? _**I** want to fight **you**. _Now, you two. Please stop fighting," I said a gentle tone in my voice. Karman turned away.

"Whatever. We don't need you to keep the peace around here. You don't even belong here," he said.

I smiled a welcoming smile. "You're right. I'm like Tohru Honda from that show Fruits Basket. I'm a rice ball in a Fruit Basket." Everyone burst into laughter at this comment, even Karman.

"You're an idiot, ya know that?" Karman stated. I felt like I'd finally broken the ice between us. I giggled a bit, and then I flopped lazily onto the floor.

"Don't do that," Moses said.

"Do what?" I asked cluelessly.

"Don't smile that way. Don't stop us from fighting. Don't do the things Kin would do. I don't want to lose you to _him_," he replied coldly.

"To who?" I asked, sitting up.

"To Karman," he replied.

"Look, I'm not Kin. Even if I do things Kin did, I'm not her, and I'm not Karman's girlfriend. I'm Mayrie, and I'm _your _girlfriend, and this is where I draw the line. You're treating me like I'm your property, and I'm not," I said, rather irritated.

"Well then, maybe we should break up," he said.

"Maybe we should," I said.

"Maybe you should leave," he said back, turning away from me.

"Maybe I _will_," I replied, standing up. "I'll be gone before sundown." With that, I walked to my room to pack my things. I honestly didn't want to go back home, so I'd go stay with Saya.

**

* * *

**

Okay, that's all for today, sorry, no lemon. Maybe in chapter 12. GAH! Ren-chan, I can't BELIEVE you made them break up! What kind of author are you?!

**Rensaji: I have my reasons…**

**What about the lemon?!**

**Rensaji: You sick pervert… If you want a lemon that bad, make your own. **

**Te-he. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. **

**Rensaji: I don't even wanna know what that means… Anyway, Make sure to review for me and Heal, okay? I have chapter ten on notebook paper, I just have to type it. And we're making a slideshow for Kin and Mayrie. It should be on youtube pretty soon. Our username is Lady588. **


	10. Chapter 10

**This is Rensaji. Heal did a good job with chapter nine, so here's chapter ten! There's not much to say, since Heal did the disclaimer last chapter. We don't own Fruits Basket, Kiddy Grade, or Blood Plus, however, we do own this story, and our OCs, and that's good enough for us! **

****

Welcome to chapter ten! I would have had this up earlier, but my computer wasn't saving it's files right. Anyway, here it is. Today's chapter has a theme song: Sakura Hiyori by Mai Hoshimura.

**Our slideshow is almost done, we just have to put in the subtitles, and the credits, then we're done! Making slideshows and AMVs are our hobbies, so we make alot, but we don't have that many on youtube. Just two. They both suck. We're starting an slideshow/AMV series called Fangirl Infatuation. We have parts one and two finished right now, but they're not on youtube just yet.**

**Achievements so far: This is our second-longest story runing so far! I have an 80 MP3 player!**

**Misc.: My computer is infected with spyware :-( Oh well, I'll just get rid of it later :-)**

**Anyway, here's Chapter Ten! **

**Chapter Ten: I Love You**

I walked into the Red Shield's apartment. I had a key to it; it was green. Everyone looked at me, surprised to see me.

"Shouldn't you be with Moses?" Mao asked.

"Well, we got into an arguement, so I'm crashing here for a while," I said, throwing my stuff in a random corner.

"Oh, so you guys broke up? Sucks for you," Mao said, flopping onto the couch. I was about ten seconds away from punching her in her face, hadn't it been that Kai was holding me back.

"So, care to tell us your real name. We're friends now, right?" he asked. I nodded.

"Mayrie Tachibana," I said.

"You mean, Tachibana? THE Tachibana that made those cool new 1000 dollar cell phones? The rich Tachibana?" Kai asked.

"Yes. THE Tachibana. Now, d'you mind letting me go?" I asked. He let me go and I walked up to Saya.

"You're soooo lucky. Hagi does whatever you want, so you don't have to worry about stuff like this. Promise me you guys'll never break up, okay?" I said.

"B-Break up? We aren't--"

I cut her off. "I was just kidding. Now, I'm going to my room, please don't bother me," I said. I walked into my room and climbed out onto the roof. I started to think of my favorite song.

"Aha! It took you long enough!"

I looked up and there stood Kai. I depressingly sat beside him. "Hey, Kai? Am I a bad person, I mean, am I NOT relationship material?" I asked.

"Uh...You seem fine to me. You'd be a nice girlfriend. Why?"

I stayed silent.

"Don't tell me what Mao said was true! You guys really did break up?!" he exclaimed. I nodded. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"That really does suck," he said. He smiled and stood up. "It'll all work out," he said.

I nodded, "Yeah". Suddenly, he looked at the stars and said:

"Nan-kuro-nai-sah!"

I giggled. As much as I hated to admit it, I was falling for Kai, and I didn't want to be. _Moses, _I thought, _I don't want to fall for someone else. Please, why won't you come for me? Are we really over? _

The thought of it brought tears to my eyes. The note I left, did he ever find it? Maybe that was it?! He never found it!

I was in denial. I'd left it right where he'd find it. It was in my room. I even remembered everything it said:

_Moses, if you don't come for me by tonight, I'll assume it really IS over. Then, no matter what you do, even if we BOTH regret it, I will never come back. Never. _

That was my promise to myself, and he wasn't coming. I sighed deeply. "Hey, what's wrong?" Kai asked, sitting beside me.

I smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. I'm just waiting for someone," I replied.

Hours passed, and no Moses. He really wasn't coming... No! I'd wait!

"Where'd you go? I miss you so. Seems like it's been forever that you've been gone...please come back home," I sang, making myself feel better. I'd have to thank Fort Minor for that. It was their song. Where'd You Go by Fort Minor. I found my eyelids getting heavy. I leaned forward and found myself falling. Off the roof.

I impacted with the ground very hard. I felt my face slam into the pavement, but I realized something. I didn't fall...someone pushed me, but who? It hurt too bad to look up, but I knew who it was by the giggles. It was Diva.

"That was fun! We should play again sometime," she said, with that she disappeared. I felt blood falling from my face. My arm hurt. What all did I break? I noticed light in my face. The sun? No, it was only about 3 or 4 in the morning. Then what was it? I let unconsciousness envelope me. No need to worry about something you have no control over...

* * *

I awoke in a room. My room. In Shwe's laWea.

No! No! No! My mind screamed. There before me stood Nathan, Amshel, Solomon, and Diva.

"Just kill her now," Diva said.

"Now, now, dear Diva. Please be patient," Nathan replied. This was a dream. I'd wake up. Anytime now. A pain coursed through my body from the fall. How could I escape this one? It'd cause too much trouble for everyone just to come for me.

"Well then, Celestia--or should I say _Mayrie_?-- our good friends the Schiff will be coming to visit soon. Excited?" Nathan asked.

"Burn in Hell, Nathan. They won't come. I've severed my ties with them," I replied.

"Really, then who are they?"

My heart raced in my chest and I looked up. There stood Karmen, Lulu...and Moses! I smiled. Even if he didn't come earlier that night, this was good enough. He still cam e when I needed him to, not wanted him to. That was usually the case, though. It was like Nanny McPhee.

_If you want me, but do not need me, I will go. If you need me but do not want me, I will stay. _

I decided from now on, I'd need Moses. Just so he could stay... Then I blacked out...again.

I awoke in someone's arms. My vision was blurry, but when it came to, it was Moses. I smiled. He really did come. I smiled broader. "I'm so happy," I said.

"Why" he asked.

"Because I'm in love...with _you_," I replied.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is Heal, by the way. This isn't too much of a lemon, it just pushes into the lemon on chapter 12. Just thought you wanted to know.**

**Rensaji: Gomenasai! This has taken us waaaay too long to update. Heal's doing ch. 12, too since I can't, what with school work and all. And I've had writer's block. Also, Heal's planning on doing a lemon, if I remember correctly... **

**No spoilers!**

**Rensaji: Sometimes I wanna strangle you, don't you realize I'll have to change the rating to M because of your lemon-writing?!**

**Rensaji: ...I highly detest this whole lemon thing, but, it's obviously out of my hands now. I have a gaia account: Kohana Misagakura. Add me if you play gaia.**

**We will dedicate this chapter to naturally morbid for being a very good person, and helping Rensaji out with her dead dog problems.**

**Rensaji: I agree! Thanks alot, Morbid-sama-sempai-san!**

**Can't you just use -dono?**

**Rensaji: Sure! Thanks, Morbid-dono! anyway, here's chapter 11!**

**Chapter Eleven: Mayrie's Seduction**

Amshel walked up to Nathan. "They won, they took back our experiment," he said.

"No, no Amshel. They haven't won. Mayrie is now part of our family. We're related by _blood_," Nathan replied.

"You don't mean--" Mashel began. Nathan cut him off with a nod.

* * *

I walked out the bathroom wearing my pink silk nightgown. I'd perfer pajamas, but Moses kept saying that girls should wear dresses. I walked into my room and turned on my stereo, changing it to the children's station. My favorite song came on, and I sang along.

"I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid...That I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for. I think I love you. Isn't that what life is made of. Though it worries me to say. I've never felt this way..."

I stopped as I spotted Karman in my doorway. He was staring at me. "Hi, Karman-kun! Do you need something?" I asked cheerily. He gave a 'hmph' and walked off. He was thinking of something serious, I could tell. But what?

My thoughts were cut short by a throbing pain in my head. I could hear Diva's singing, and it was geting on my nerves. I decided to combat her singing with my own.

_"__Sing a song unto the world_. _Rising high, the clouds unfurled. Fan the flames unto the past_. _Here, now, our lives will last. We'll never know the times of pain._ _Fall down, fall down. Falls the rain._ _My life won't be plain__."_

Her singing stopped, and I smirked with satisfaction. Carefully, I closed my door and slid out of my silk nightgown. Silk never really suited me. I opened my closet and realised everything was silk. I groaned and climbed into my bed wearing only my bra and underwear. Who cared, anyway? It's not like Moses would be coming to my room or something...

* * *

A knock came at my door. It'd been a while, and I was half-asleep. "Come in!" I called, burying myself deeper into the blankets. There stood Moses. "I forgot you don't have to sleep," I said, smiling warmly.

"Yes, well, I need to talk to you," he replied.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, sitting up a little, careful not to let the blanket reveal what I didn't want him to see. Not yet, anyway. He sat down beside me.

"I'm sorry for the way...I acted. I behaved like a child and it got you hurt," he said.

"No! No! I'm fine, really," I replied. "I was being kinda bratty, too," I replied.

"No, you were using common sense. I was wrapped up in jealousy," he informed. I blushed. So he really _was _jealous? I buried my face in my pillow. Butterflies were forming in my stomach.

"Y-You don't have to apologize. Really. There's no reason to. I mean, I understand how you could be jealous. But, I need to ask you something. About Karman...Why has he been acting so strange?" I asked.

"I made a threat," he replied.

"A threat?" I questioned, interested. I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and sat beside him, staring into his enchanting green eyes.

"I told him...I'd kill him if he ever tried to tear us apart," he replied glumly.

"You didn't!" I exclaimed, smacking him across his face. "Karman is your BESTFRIEND! How could you let _me _come between you?!What's your problem?" I asked, the butterflies in my stomach had flown away, and were replaced by an ever-growing flame. I turned away from him in disgust.

"Please forgive me...Unless you love Karman back," he said.

"Are you accusing me?! I'm just friends with Karman! I told you last week that we were only friends! I love you, Moses! No one else!" I exclaimed out of anger. I quickly covered my mouth with both my hands, causing the blanket around my shoulders to fall down to my waist. My face turned deep crimson, and I turned away.

"Flawless," he mumbled.

I turned to look at him and found him staring at me. "Your body is flawless," he repeated.

"No!! You're making me sound like a Mary-Sue! Cut it out!" I exclaimed.

"But it's true," he said. I turned away and felt his fingers brush against my bare skin. He pulled me close to him, his lips brushing against mines. I tried to pull away, but his hands moved around my waist. After a while of struggling, I finally gave in and allowed him to control the kiss.

He moved on top of me, forcing me against the bed. I felt butterflies form once again in my stomach. He pulled out of the kiss, staring at me. "Please stop," I whispered as his kisses trailed down my neck.

**Aww! Sorry it's so short! We'll make it longer next time! Rensaji made some fanart of Mayrie, but she has to hook up her printer and scan it to the computer, edit it, and put it on the internet. It'll take (at max) 3 hours. Anyway, the fanart and school has delayed this update.**


	12. Chapter 12: Ending, Ending!

**We've been gone for like...forever, so here's the much-awaited chapter twelve. By the way, this is Heal. Rensaji and I decided to add a little twist. This thing made me so mad because we had the chapter and when we went to the edit/prievew, it was completely blank and it wouldn't work when we tried to re-upload it, so ****I had to type it all over again, but my hands were cramped so now Rensaji has to do it. Since she's doing it, there'll be a lemon in the sequel by yours truly. ARGH THIS VERSION IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL!! ARGH!!**

**This is the last and final chapter of "I Do Care" until the sequel comes out later on. This wasn't going to be the end, but when Rensaji gets an idea, she doesn't ignore it. **

**This will be the very first fanfic that the two of us have seen through to the end and not abandoned. Of course, we plan on seeing all our fanfics to the end after this one. **

**We will be starting a sort of side-story called 'Ask Away' in which you can ask any character of Blood Plus a question, and it will be answered. Our OCs are included in this, as well. **

**In the sequel, Mayrie's family will play a bigger part, and it'll be much, much longer than this story. **

**And so, until the sequel and/or 'Ask Away' comes out, we would like to say farewell and thank you to all the readers for reading and/or reviewing. Without you, let's just say that if someone asked about this fanfic, we would have said "I _Don't _Care".**

**Thanks again, and we hope you all enjoy the sequel!!**

**WE DON'T OWN BLOOD PLUS.**

**--If we did, there would be a scene with Moses in the shower **

**Chapter Twelve: Ending, Ending!**

"Mayrie, are you okay?"

I was acutely aware of Moses's presence as my mind went off elsewhere. He kissed my cheek and snapped me back to reality. The sweat located on my face made my hair stick to it, and if Moses hadn't said something, I was sure I would've gone off in my sea of passion. He kissed my cheek again and gave me a worried stare. "Mayrie?"

"I'm fine," I replied, breathing in. He put his arm around my waist and went to sleep, leaving me lost in thought. I felt like I could finally love him and not Kai or Karmen.

I exited the shower wearing a black short sleeved t-shirt and a white sundress over it. Suddenly, my phone beeped and I opened it. It was a text message from Kai.

_Mayrie, I need you to get here ASAP. We need to talk._

I wondered what Kai would've wanted, so I told everyone where I was headed and walked to the Red Shield's apartment. Kai was waiting for me expectantly outside and he took my hand. "I need to talk to you somewhere private," he said. I felt my heart futter at his touch and he pulled me off down the sidewalk, stopping at a bench at the back of a park. We had gotten ice cream from a cart and I sat licking mines furiously while Kai seemed nervous and jittery. I turned to him, unaware of the ice cream at the corner of my mouth. Kai stared at it and I found his soft tounge move across my cheek. The ice cream was gone, and my cheeks turned red.

"S-So what did you want to talk about?" I asked, still blushing. I nervously licked my vanilla ice cream before taking a bite out the waffle cone. Kai turned away.

"That day when you and Moses got in a fight...I was so happy when I was able to cheer you up," he began. I stopped eating my cone and turned to him.

"What are you saying?" He frowned and turned to me.

"I know you're with Moses, but this has been bugging me for a long time. I really like you...alot," he said. He put his hand over mines. "I mean to say is that I love you."

"I-I...I mean, there's no other way to say this, but...I think I love you, too. Whenever I'm around you, I'm happy and I don't know why," I said, "I love Moses, too, though, so that's the weird thing about all this." He kissed my lips and stood up.

"Stay true to your heart," he replied, throwing his untouched chocolate cone into the trash. I put my finger to my lips and stood up as Julia ran over to us.

"Mayrie, I've been looking for you everywhere--Moses accidentally got in the sunlight, and he didn't get burned. The Thorn that used to be on his body is gone! It's a miracle!" she exclaimed. "Has he come into contact with Diva's blood?"

"No, but last night, he drank some of my blood," I mumbled, looking up thoughtfully. Julia took my wrist.

"We need to do some tests," she said. I waved goodbye to Kai as she dragged me off.

"Mayrie, your blood is the key to saving the Schiff--we don't need Diva's blood anymore," Julia said, looking at a paper. I jumped to my feet.

"Wait a second, are you saying that I'm not human anymore?" I asked. Julia shook her head and pulled out the x-rays she had taken of me.

"I'm saying that you never were--and now somehow Diva's blood is in your system. Unless we discover a cure, you'll either turn into a chiropteran and rampage, or you'll die a slow and painful death," she said. "I'm guessing you have a few months from the looks of things."

"So I'm going to die?" I asked. Julia nodded.

"You _and_ your unborn child."

* * *

Moses's POV

I wondered where Mayrie went as I paced the hall impatiently. She just left without saying goodbye to me. She said it to everyone _but_ me. I wondered why she wasn't answering her cell. Finally, I got an answer after about the sixth time. Mayrie's voice was shaky, and she seemed distant.

"Moses, I need to talk to you later."

"Not later, now."

"Do you want to hear the good news, the bad news, or the baddest news?"

"Just start with the good news."

"My blood can cure the Thorn."

"Bad news?"

"I'm not human and I have a few months to live."

"And what's the baddest news?"

"I'm pregnant, apparently." I dropped the phone. Slowly, I put the receiver back up to my ear and tried to register that information.

"How is this the baddest news?" I heard her sigh.

"Moses, I don't want kids. This isn't even supposed to be happening! Julia said that since the baby is human and I'm not, my body will attack it and it's gonna die," she said. "You probably don't care, but either way..." I frowned and clenched my fist.

"I'm on my way."

I had already learned that Mayrie's blood had cured me, so I jumped from building to building, watching all the cars shine and the fountains sparkle. Everything looked so different at day.

Different.

(Still Moses's POV)

Mayrie thumbled with her fingers nervously as we sat on a bench at the park. I had just heard the day's events, and how Mayrie was confused about her feelings. I clenched my fist and felt a bit betrayed. Kai was my friend, and he just kissed my girlfriend out of the blue. I could see why, though--she was nice (sometimes), brave, beautiful, outgoing, and I couldn't imagine why anyone wouldn't love her. Of course, I couldn't stay angry at Kai since Mayrie was soon about to learn the truth of her kniving, two-timing, backstabbing sister and how when I failed at loving her, I turned to Kin, knowing full well that she belonged to Karman.

She was about to learn about why she had to fight alongside Saya. She was going to have to kill her sister, just as Saya would, and possibly die herself if we couldn't find a cure.

But first, there was something I needed to tell her. Something that I'd been itching to say since our phonecall.

"I do care."


End file.
